For those close to retirement, they should be.
I still have a long way to go... there will be all kinds of economics happening before I get to 66 or 70 or 75 or whatever the usual retirement age is by the time I get there. I have a 401K through the company (it matches my contributions up to 10% of my income), I have mutual funds I contribute to in addition, I have my house I'll have paid off in 10 years, I have no debt other than the mortgage.... I think that's reasonable at this point.
And I try NOT to watch my investments too closely.... I'm in it for the long haul. What happens this day or even this year probably doesn't matter much. And while I think Republican vs. Democrat economic policies have SOME impact, it's mostly the economy doing it's thing. The inflation of today is no doubt partly beause of what the Democrats did but hey it's happening all over the world. In my MBA classes, there is much talk of cycles... these things tend to happen (although made better or worse by economic policies).
Invest 10% to 20% of your total income at least (the high end if you don't have a good and reliable pension) from when you start working .... eventually own your own house (long before retirement)... stay out of debt.... you should be good to go. Should.
.
